The German Department offers students training in the German language and exposure to the literature and culture of the German-speaking countries. Beyond the acquisition of speaking facility, language courses can foster better understanding of how language both reflects and shapes consciousness of the world. In the best liberal arts tradition, language study enhances our ability to deal with ambiguity and cultural pluralism.

Language Requirement in German Incoming students with previous German will be placed on the basis of a test administered during New Student Orientation and once each semester thereafter. Students presenting CEEB Advanced Placement scores to the Admissions Office may receive credit toward the requirement (and toward graduation) or toward a major or minor in German, depending on the level of proficiency. The language requirement may be satisfied by testing out of or by completing German 101 and 102. The advanced placement policy of the College is explained in the section on Admission.

A major in German can lead to careers in teaching, research or translation work, foreign service, international business, or work in international service organizations. A minor in German can enhance one’s preparation for professions in communications, journalism, the natural and social sciences, or any work involving trans-cultural communication. International Business and German Students who are interested in a fundamental preparation in international business or finance with a focus on German language and economic issues may choose a major in German or Business Economics and a prescribed core of complementary courses. Interested students should consult with Professor Mareike Herrmann. In addition to courses at Wooster, the College offers programs for beginning and advanced students in Germany and Austria (see Study Abroad).

The major consists of a minimum of eleven semester courses beyond the 100 level, including three units of Independent Study (401, 451, 452). Majors are encouraged to take additional courses in German or in related disciplines as electives. If students place out of the intermediate-level courses (201/202), they have to make up the remaining courses with other classes in our department or with transfer credits from abroad.

In considering a major or minor in German Studies, students should consult early in the first year or sophomore year with a member of the department about how best to plan meaningful sequences of courses, ideally including at least a semester of study abroad. The curriculum as described below is intended to expose students at the intermediate level to varieties of spoken and written styles; to encourage active development of one’s written and spoken facility with German in a broad range of topic areas; to exercise skills in intercultural thinking and communication; to introduce students to the methods and questions central to the study of German literature and cultural history, and to foster critical inquiry into a number of specific areas prior to Independent Study. The German Studies major encompasses inquiries into literary, artistic, historical, and everyday cultural aspects of German-speaking areas. It includes the study of periods, genres, major themes of German literature, and questions of cultural theory, and begins with the history and methods course, German 260. This course, which is offered annually in the spring, must be taken at the College of Wooster.